Puccini : a critical biography / by Mosco Carner.
| Author/creator | Carner, Mosco |
| Format | Book |
| Edition | Second edition. |
| Publication Info | New York : Holmes & Meier Publishers, 1977, ©1974. |
| Description | xvi, 520 pages, 11 unnumbered leaves of plates : illustrations ; 26 cm |
| Subjects |
| Contents | First part. The man. Preludio in Modo Antico ; Early years at Lucca ; Milan ; First steps in opera ; Predicaments ; The turn of the tide ; Torre del Lago: 'Turis Eburnea' ; Maturity ; 'Sardoodledom' ; Intermezzo strepitoso ; Lean years ; New York and after ; Giacomo and Elvira ; Tragic interlude ; Recovery ; Out of work again ; War years ; 'A sign of strength' ; Aftermath of war ; Swansong -- Second part. The artist. General features ; Verdi and Puccini ; Fundamental aesthetics of Italian opera ; Melodrama (libretto and opera) ; Realism ; Zola's formula and verismo ; Anti-operatic tendencies in Italy ; Puccini's 'French' sensibility ; Three aspects of atmosphere: documentary; poetic; psychological ; Atmosphere versus character -- Puccini and the Fin de Siecle. Psychological mainspring of his art ; Love as tragic guilt and its compulsive pattern ; Latent symbolism of plot and characters ; The Puccinian heroine and her antagonist ; Puccini's limitations -- Dramaturgy and musical style -- Thrid part. The work. Youthful compositions: mass, capriccio sinfonico, chamber music, etc. ; Le Villi ; Edgar ; Manon Lescaut ; La Boheme ; La Tosca ; Madama Butterfly ; la Fanciulla del West ; La Rondine ; Il Trittico. Il Tabarro ; Suor Angelica ; Gianni Schicchi -- Turnadot. |
| Abstract | Divided into three parts, this book addresses all aspects of Puccini's life and work. Part I, The Man, gives the facts of the composer's somewhat stormy life, quoting extensively from his own letters. Part II, The Artist, calls on the resources of modern psychology in assessing his personality and its curious limitations, and the unconscious springs of his creative processes. Part III, The Work, is a detailed guide to each opera, both music and libretto, with a synopsis of opera plots. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (pages 507-508) and indexes. |
| LCCN | 76030456 |
| ISBN | 0841903026 |